Water-softening silicate and process of producing same



. v V 1,693,873 E. W. SHAWEN ET-AL.

WATER SOFTENING SILI CATE AND PnOCESS O F PRODUCING SAME Dec. 4, 1928.

Filed Feb. 9, 1925 Patent d Dec. 4, 1928.

i I UNITED {STATES PATENT OFFlCE.

ELI'WALTER srmwnn ANIQZALBER'IEQ, Anunrr, or DAYTON, 0310.

wn'rnn-sorrnnruo sniIoA'rE Ann Pitocriss or rnonucmc Sm.

Applieation -hled rebrualy a, 1925.; Serial in. 7,887.

bed of natural sand or clay, commonly known 10 content. -Such filter material is usually of fine granular forni, whichforms acompact solid bed. This filter bed in time becomcs permeated with'the separated lime sludge and must be renewed or rejuvenated by circulate ing strong salt lirine-therethru, and subsequently washing .the filter bed to renew its water softening activity. One of the difliculties encountered in such filter bodies of fine granular material is that the water' will not circulate uniformly thruout the entire filter bed, but will form boresor channels through certain restricted areas, the remainder of the bed becoming close packed and resistant to the passage of the water.

The-objectof the present invention is to provide a filter material which will exert a chemical reaction upon the water passing therethrough to ell'eot the separation and'p ecipitation of the lime content, which material will be of a coarse porous characteristic.

The material being preferably of the size of small gravel. each body being more or less porous, a filter bed of such material will not become compact-ed and resist the circulation of water, but will permit uniform distribu-' tion of the water supply thruout the entire body of filter material.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of softening water and to provide improved filter material or agent for eiie'cting the precipitation of the lime contents and softening of the water, which will be cheap to manufacture, caps ble of retaining its active softeningcharacteristics over long periods of use without the necessity for frequent rejuvenation, and which will not have the tendency of retaining or holding the separated matter, but will as zeolites, which reacts with and separates y from the water during its filtration, the lime .minutc gas pockets therein.

leave the depositof lime free to be easily removed; 7

a With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear from the specification. the invention 5 consis'ts'k'of the materials and combinations thereof, and the mode of preparation, as well as the mode of operation, or their equivalents as hereinafter described and set forth in the 4 claims. '-,In the pre aration of the filter material, a quantity 0 clay earth and bicarbonate of.

soda are mixed thoroughly and uniformly in the approximate proportions of nine parts-3 of clay to one part of bicarbonate of soda. These portions are-mentioned for illustration and, notwith intent of limiting the relative proportions of ingredients- The quantity of bicarbonate of soda if desired maybe increased muchbeyond the proportion men tioned, even to the extent of one fourth or,' more of the'mixturc. The mixture of clay earth and sodium bicarbonate is then moistened with sufiicient vinegar or acidified wai. er to make the mass plastic. The addition of the vinegar reacting upon the soda causes the mass to eller vesce rendering the clay body more or less 'porous by the formation of The molded mass is then heated substantially to the fusing point of the clay so that the body becomes hard and brick ike. The body of mixture while yet in a highly heated. condition is crushed to particles of approximately small gravel size, and a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and sodium chloride or coinmon salt is then sprinkled over the crushed portion and the broken mass is quenched by being submerged in asaturate solution of bicarbonate of soda and sodium chloride or 00 common salt. The resultant-product is a hard burned coarse material,fin which the soda. content isinsolubly incorporated. Th5 gravel like portions are more or less porous, and are of such shape and size that they will 9 l not closelycom'pact in the filter bed to prevent free circulation of the water; It ha been found by experiment that hard water or. water highly charged with carbonate of lune and other like minerals, which render the water undesirable for household use is acted upon and affected during its circula'; tion through the filter bed to cause the sepa; ration and deposit of the mineralcontent of s the water which may be drained off from the" bottom of the filter bed while-the softened water iswithdrawn from the top. The'usual installations of such water softening filters is to connect the supplyoi raw .or hard water to the bottom ofsuch filter bed, causing,

1. the water to circulateupward therethrough,

- of the filtenmateri'al is unimpaired and does not require the frequentrcjuvenation or. re- 'generationby use of salt brine as is the case ao' ith natural sand or zeolites.

While the material prepared as heretofore deserihedis found'etl'icicnt and thorough in most instances, it-has been found, however, for water of peculiar hardness or of'partmw- 26 lar mineral content,.the addition ofaquan-I .tityof magnesium intermixed with the soda in e ualproportion or less, will b e'found bene cial, and will increase the rapidity-of softening action. ,7 {Instead ot attractingand holding the sen-i arated inineral' ingredients, as is: the .case

with natural sand softening agents, the present softening material frees the lime and extracted matter much of which is precipitate'd 86fto the-bottom otthe tank orfilter vessel from v which itmay be withdrawn through a drain cock. Sometime some of the lighter particles of separated matter will float to the top. of the filter vessel. For this reason the distrieo bution ofitake from the softener is submerged while an overflow outletis provided through which may be drained the floating particles of freed matter.

In the accompanying drawing which is ,1 45.,adiagrammatic illustration of a typical influshed. 1 In the-drawing, 1 is'the-softener" tank .containinga deposit 2 oft catalytie sof- "mixture and subjecting the mixtureito high temperature, crushing the resultant-"mass to approximatelyrgravel size and whileyethot "stallation, tlie softener isconneeted for the through, a toilet stool, each time the toilet is teningagent 'prepared'as herein described."

The hard water is admitted at the bottom of the softener tank 1, thru the inlet pipe .3.- It is circulated upward thr'ujs'uch filter bed 2 duringwhich time it is acted upon toefi'ect the'separationanddeposit of the lirn e content 'and likematerial. The softener water is withdrawn thru'the outlet or 'distribm tion' pipe 4, the intake end of which-issome what. lower than an" overflow pipe 5, thin Jwhichfioating particles forxningascumare. toatreatment-of"sodium-chloride.

5; A5; an articlea of-.' :manuacture,'-wate I softening filter material comprising pieces of" withdrawn. Leading from, thebottom of -the'vessel 1 and from the side opposite the intake a drain pipefi with which the overingre I without departing from theprinclple nvolving or sacrificing any of its advantages.

automaticdisposal of the precipitate or lime l dge; by discharging' the waste rnaterial flow pipe 5 communicates and which discharges thruthe flush'tank of'the-toilet; eachtime-t-he toilet is flushed. Thus sed ment is flushed out of the softener-tank at more or less fre iient intervalsw ithout necessityof especia attention being given. i

From the.- above description 1tw1ll be apparent that there is; thus provided a soften-1 ing material of the character .described,'possessing the particular features of advanta e before enumerated as desirahle buflwhicho viousl is susceptible of,= n1od1ficat1oninuts; 7 clients, proportions, and arrangement ,fWhile inorderfto comply withthestatutethe-invention'has heendeseribedin language more or less spe'cifioas to component arts, w it is to be understood that the invention 1s. n0t limited to-thespecific details, but-that the means, herein disclosed comprises the pre ferred form of several modes of puttingthe invention-into effect and the invention is,-'

therefore,claimed-in anygaofi ts' forms brf. modifications withinthe -1e t mate andfill valid scope of "the appended .,c ims. iI av ing thus-idescribed th invention, :we ca1m:- I

, 1.1;Thewherein desciiihedmethodof papa;

ing water. softening filterjmaterial consisting .9 I in intermixin-g cla'y andbicarbonate'pfsoda I moisteningjthe an acidified jliquid, and heatingtoapprpximately the ing point of the clay.".

r 2. The herein ,describediiie thod prepar 10o ing filter material for water, softening purr- -poses, ..eonsi sting in together a clayand a quantity of; sodium bicarboinate', rendering {the mixture porous and subjecting the'p'orousmixture' to heat treatment,.the portion of claybeing in excess of the portion-lot soda -to form 'an' insol uble porousbody; brokenpieces of which in the presence of. limecharged water have the effect of separatingthe lime content 1 from the waters poses, consisting in intermixingfsodiuin bitieles.

result-ing material being-Subjectedwhile hot material of porous vitreous character. in l 3..The. herein describedniethod oi-preparing' filter material for water softening purcarbonate with clay earth; acidifying. 16: .5

meazws,

which sodium bicarbonate has been incohporaied prior to heat treatment thereof, the material being subsequently subjected to treatment with sodium chloride and magnesinnl.

The herein Gescribed method of tre 3: ing clay within an alkaii and an acid by which efi'ervescence is efiected throughout the mass of clay and. burning the ciay n'mss to afiford imrii bociy cf porous character.

In kescimen; whereef, we have iiereun'm set cur hans this 20th day of January, A, TD. 1925. v

ELI WALTER SHAWTEN. ALBERT 0. ARNET'E. 

